Four Charged in the Nation's Largest Known COVID Tax Credit Fraud Scheme
June 26, 2025
FBI and IRS-CI agents arrested multiple people today for their roles in a $93 million COVID-19 tax credit fraud scheme—considered to be the largest ever identified. Two of the defendants are also charged for attempting to murder the ringleader of the scheme.
On June 11, 2025, a federal grand jury returned an indictment in Los Angeles that was unsealed today charging four defendants with conspiracy to commit mail fraud; mail fraud; and conspiracy to submit false claims. Two of the defendants are also charged with attempting to kill a witness and using a firearm in furtherance of that crime.

Those charged in the indictment are:
Kristerpher Turner, aka "Kris Turner," "Red," "Red Boy," and "Bullet," 52, of Harbor City, California.
Toriano Knox, aka "Scooby," and "Dwight," 55, of Los Angeles, California.
Kenya Jones, aka "Kenya Emua Jones," and "Kenya Hunt," 46, of Compton, California.
Joyce Johnson, a.k.a. "Ms. Jay," 55, of Victorville, California.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress authorized tax credits, including "sick and family wage credits," otherwise known as Coronavirus Response Credits, to help alleviate the impact of COVID-19, via the Family First Coronavirus Response Act. Small businesses could seek refunds on business tax returns claiming the credit. Authorized tax credits would reimburse businesses for the wages paid to employees who could not work because of the pandemic.
According to the indictment, defendant Turner operated a tax fraud scheme whereby he and his co-conspirators would submit fraudulent forms to Coronavirus Response Credits for businesses, including bogus companies, that did not pay any sick and family wage credits to any employees at any time. Defendant Turner and his co-conspirators would submit these fraudulent filings on behalf of their own purported businesses, but also on behalf of others recruited to the scheme.

Defendant Turner would direct and manage recruiters, including defendant Knox and Jones, to recruit fraud clients, including romantic partners. According to the indictment, Jones recruited her family and friends to the fraud, resulting in false forms being submitted in the names of multiple businesses. Fraud clients would provide their personal identifying information to be used to establish fake businesses and prepare fraudulent tax filings. Others would provide information about preexisting businesses that were ineligible to receive Coronavirus Response Credits so that the co-conspirators could use that information to file fraudulent tax filings on behalf of those businesses.

Fraud participants would receive U.S. Treasury checks in the mail as a result of the conspiracy’s fraudulent tax filings and would attempt to deposit those Treasury Checks in business accounts opened in the name of the fake businesses at various banks.

For each fraud client that obtained Treasury checks through this conspiracy, defendant Turner would charge a percentage of the fraud proceeds that amounted to somewhere between 20 to 40 percent of funds received. Defendant Turner would direct fraud clients and his recruiters to pay a portion of the fraud proceeds to him personally or to entities controlled by him, or his co-conspirators, as kickbacks, including through cashiers’ checks, money transfer services, or cash.
cont...